New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-04
ZEBEHR PA 'HA.
THE CONQUEROR AND CIVILIzER OF THE
SOIDAN

| set free after more than two years confinement
| here, has been of curious and striking interest.
| Generally spoken of in England bOodthirsty
| and rapa cious slave-dealer, the enemy of Gordon
and of all good works, accused by the officials who
| arc responsible for English action in Egypt of
ceaseless political intrigue. he entirely rebIts both
charges and claims for himself with oret but as
sured selfrespect the position of reformer civiizcr
and gentleman. His story as he tells 1t is worth
| summing up.
| He comes Of the race of the Abbsssides. that
royal house which furnished the Callphs of the
West to Spain and modified European barbarian
| by the introduction of the refinement and science
of the East. His family settled about thousand
| years ago at Grimnayeh In the neghborhood OF
Khartoum, and Zebehr born and brought mp
| on his fathers estates. When he was Young man
| the for adventure In the unknown regions OF
the White Milo strong among tho youth Of
Khartoum. Through the action Of cousin who
defed the moro sober wishes of the family Zebehr
was drawn entirely against his own intention into
| joining the guard of an ivory merchant going
| down to the Bahr Ghazal. He went without prep
aration. He bad no arms, nor money, nor outht,
nor even the good will of the merchant with whom
| he went down. His own description Is that he
went poor slave, swinging his hands He was
dependent for food the kindness of his cousin.
| who gave him portion of his not too plentiful
| ratlOnS. because ne cnanceu 10 nave With niln
CODY of the Koran, which he took pleasure IN read
| ing, ne was jeerod at for q missionary and mock
| iugly invited to convert the natives. When after
several months he at last demanded arms, he was
| given q broken and rust-eaten gun and two cart
ridges In his first battle with hostile natives be
had the good fortune to lodge bullet from one OF
his cartridges in the brain of the native chief and
| to turn by that shot the course of encounter
| which WAS going dangerously for the traders. He
| thus won the gratitude of the ivory merchant and
| from 1t the opportunity to exercise bis commercial
| talent
| 1t was the custom Of the Khartoum traders at
| that time to look upon the natives as creatures
closely allied to the lions, leopards and elephants
they came to hunt and to treat them with scarcely
| moro consideration. Zebehr attributes his COM
mercal success to q complete reversal OF this
| policy. he took moro humane view of the in
| habitants of tho districts. He watched their
custom. learned their languages, studied their
| wants and respected their laws. Above all, while
cautious In his own defence he abstained from any
| kind Of aggression. The result was that he ob
| tanned on amcable trading terms Of mutual advant
age moro ivory, feathers, and other marketable
goods than had ever before been obtained in so
short time. He was put at the head of what
might be called tho travelling branch OF his chiefs
business and before long received an offer of part
nershlp. He refused to become partner but after
remaining for 81 imonths alone In charge OF the
station accepted sum of money in reward for his
services, and returned with knowledge and cap tal
to Khartoum. lie laid out his capital IN such Euro
pean goods a. study Of the natives had taught him
TO DO most valuable to them and went down a
second time to the south Adventures as thrilling
as any invented by a Cooper or De Foe succeeded
one another and following always his policy of
liberal and peaceful dealings with the natives he
found himself after some time In the position oil
! iO,ed adviser at tho court OF one OF the native
kings The name Of this king was Tikima-
Though csnnibals his people were not black. They
were white. with oval faces and long and silky
hair. The chiefs among them were extremely
proud of their birth, nor I'D they indulge In the
practice of eating human flesh which was uni'sr-
sal with the people. Cannibalism prevailed in the
country TO such an extent that scarcely any bnt
human flesh was eaten. Men and women were
killed and sold In the market by weight and human
fat was commonly used for culinary purposes.
They were like most OF tho natives OF the Nyam-
Nyam territory. extremely low in the scale OF civil
lization in all respects Their main occupation was
fighting and the rule OF war was that all booty,
such as beads ard cloth, wont to the king and all
prisoners to the people.
Zebehr formed here tho first OF those slave
armies which afterwari became so famous lie
pon ted out to the king that in the turbulent con-
dition in which he llyed ho had great need OF an
army more regularly organized than tic anus
ciplned levss lie was in the habit OF raising mat
IL was a ritiful thing to see fine and servIceabe
young men daily slaughtered for eating In the
market and that 1t would be- Jar ue,tet II ai.er
snccessful raid upon an eDemys territory he were
to give up to the people o certain proportion OF
booty and keep for himself the young and active
among the prisoners, who. instead OF being tlangh'
tered, might be trained as soldiers 10 Tx definite
amount of ransom for each young prisoner was Tue
next step. The neighboring tribes came soon 70
offer their prisoners the same terms C3nnlDal-
ism receives a check Slavery took It's place. As
for slave dealing IN its commonly accepted sense.
Zebehr who is well acquainted with the horrors
| attendant upon the slave trade In Nuba. REJECTS
all tho reports of his share In ~ as mere vulgar
scandal He looks upon the buying OF young
soldiers under the knife as e reform by means oil
which seemngly ilsuperablo barrier TO civiliza-
ton has been almost broken down Though no
bought In tho later part OF his career many thou
sand soldiers for his army, he never sold slave
To follow his adventures from this point IN
detail Is impossible within reason sDlo iiints o.
the kings life in battle and as consequence tho
kings daughter was given TO him for q vile. lie
rose partly by friendly alliance partly by conquest
| in wars forced upon him, to position In which he
| was offered the Sultanate over neighborng kings
| whose domin ions extended through twenty days
traysIl,ng' and ho found himself almost without
| choice In the matter In 1864 he was the estaD
| lishcd ruler of territory which he speaks OF by
the native pane of Slandugha. The limits oil II are
| of course underlined any European maps. but II
| may roughly be said to lie between 20 and 70 east
longitude and and north latitude 1 no account
| which no gives of the organization and develop
| ment of this State are extremely interesting. lie
| had to abolish native abuses, to put down canni-
balsn to teach the first principles OF trade and az
ricuture, to introduce Egyptian law, to establish
schools for the teaching of Arabic, to weld the
country into u whole by tho opening OF roads fIom
1 ono end TO the other and above all to maintain
| communication with the civilized world. At the
,a,ne time In the interest OF order be had 20 put
down slave-hu ting and to defend bin self against
| the raids of Jealous pOtentates upon his borders
To nurse civilization from the cradle. and to protect
the nursing, was in tact bis task lie appears 10
yiruIsnt enemies DO not call into question. His
| kingdom grew, the citios aonrlshed. bis trade ex
| tended til caravans from all parts of the east
| brgan TO arrive almost daily IN his capital.
| One of the most vital principles of his policy was
| associated with this policy that IL was used as O
protection by all caravans tb0se OF slave dealers
| az well rs others. He attributed In great nieos
| ure TO this circumstance his reputation for slave
| dealing He says of himself tnat every war he
undertook, with tho exception Of those entered In